Archives for May 2015

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
ALEXANDRIA – Continuing efforts to improve its footprint on the Internet, the Baptist Message launched a redesigned website June 4 offering a variety of features making baptistmessage.com easier to navigate and a better complement to Louisiana Baptists’ newspaper.
“The digital redesign is a great improvement, incorporating new features that make the online Baptist Message a better partner for the print edition,” said Will Hall, who recently joined the news journal as editor.
“But also, it reflects well on the professionalism and commitment of the news staff for completing such a large change effort while in the midst of a leadership transition,” said Hall. “It’s exciting to be joining this Baptist Message team.”
The new features include a more user-friendly presentation of articles, a PDF version of the print edition and an improved archives section that allows searching for articles by descending order of date whether published in print or online.
Video clips may be added to articles, and users may now comment on reports and easily share stories through social media links such as Twitter and Facebook.
The new website also offers new advertising possibilities.
Churches, … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Louisiana College Communications
PINEVILLE --Louisiana College athletic director Dennis Dunn announced on May 30 Reni* Mason of Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, La., will succeed Gene Rushing as head men’s basketball coach.
Mason, 44, takes the helm on June 1.
“I have always viewed Louisiana College as one of the premiere coaching jobs in D3 basketball because of the respect I have for my predecessors there,” Mason told LCNews.
“This is an exciting time for my family and me,” he continued. “And that’s not just because of basketball, but because of the Christ-centeredness and family atmosphere on the LC campus. Those things are very important to us as a family.”
Mason brings a 154-53 record from his seven-year stint at Evangel, including three district championships and district coach of the year in 2010, 2011 and 2015, respectively.
A graduate of the University of New Orleans with a B.S. in General Studies, Mason played collegiate ball at Louisiana Tech and UNO. He brings almost 30 years of experience as a player and a coach at the collegiate and pro levels alike.
Mason was general manager and assistant coach of the Dodge City Legend (USBL) in Dodge City, Kansas; coached at UNO and the University of … [Read more...]

By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press
NASHVILLE (BP) -- A small-town grain and cattle farmer's estate and charitable gifts to Southern Baptist Convention entities is a prime example of how everyone can support Southern Baptists, said Warren Peek, president of the Southern Baptist Foundation.
Merv Goehring, a lifelong South Dakota farmer who served briefly in the U.S. Army, left gifts totaling more than $550,000 to the SBF, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the SBC Cooperative Program upon his death at age 87 in 2014, Peek said.
While Goehring served for many years as a church teacher and deacon, Peek noted the farmer's generous charitable annuities and estate gifts to Southern Baptist entities are remarkable.
"This gentleman had modest income and modest wealth, lived in a small house, did not attend a Southern Baptist church, was not a Southern Baptist," Peek said. "Mr. Goehring stayed at home and watched 'the best preachers in America,' and realized they're Southern Baptists. And he had a picture of Adrian Rogers on his wall. Rogers, who died in 2005, was longtime pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., and served three terms as SBC president.
"And later [Goehring] got the opportunity to hear Dr. Albert … [Read more...]

By Ronnie Floyd, President of the Southern Baptist Convention
COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- There are years when we come together as Southern Baptists annually, having little to no expectation of what God may want to do among us. For the sake of a very lost America and an ever-growing lost and dangerous world, let's come together in Columbus believing God to work in us, among us and through us.
Let's refuse unbelief
I am reminded of the words recorded in Matthew 13:58, "And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief." I am convinced this is the reason we see a limited work of God in many churches in America. I assure you, in our own church, business as usual is Satan's weapon to create unbelief.
This year in our convention gathering, let's refuse unbelief! It is the opposite of faith; therefore, we should refuse it in every way. As pastors and church leaders, let us not be guilty of what we accuse our people of at times: coming together with little to no expectation of God doing anything among us.
As leaders coming to Columbus, Ohio, we do not need to sit, listen, evaluate and critique. Let's refuse this way of thinking along with all attitudes and actions of unbelief.
Let's believe God
I love the words of our … [Read more...]

By Susie Rain, Baptist Press
NEPAL (BP) -- The Nepali man pulled brick after brick off a pile of rubble that was once his home. He passed along anything that was salvageable to his children to set aside. Finally, down in a hole, he found what he was looking for -- their food storage.
The splintered, dusty woven basket held their entire harvest of rice. Before the April 25 earthquake in Nepal, this basket brimmed with white grains. Today, he pulled out one handful of red-stained rice.
"It might taste like dirt now, but we can still eat it," he said. "It will fill our stomachs."
He excitedly instructed the children to help sift through the rubble to find more food -- garlic, onions, peppers and rice -- in the remains of their home. Their tedious labor stopped abruptly when they heard shouting up the hill. A neighbor yelled down for everyone to come quick. Someone had brought food!
For days on end, the villagers took turns sitting on the edge of the main road trying to get help. From the road, you couldn't even see their collapsed village up on the mountainside. They watched as big trucks of relief supplies passed them by, headed to larger towns down the road.
Hope of receiving any kind of help began to die little by little -- … [Read more...]

By Caroline Anderson, Baptist Press
EAST ASIA (BP) -- Chinese believers could be the next missions sending force, following the Western and Korean Christians who've gone before them. They pray, give and go, sacrificing everything to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the nations.
But sacrifices come with costs. Chinese cross-cultural Christian workers say they struggle with discouragement and loneliness. Those in Southeast Asia welcomed encouragement and counsel from Southern Baptist workers Phil and Ruth Wardell,* who have provided training for believers.
Zhao Chang Pu,* Zhao Hui Fang* and their two daughters moved from China to minister in Southeast Asia. They say it's the hardest thing they've ever done.
Just like Westerners, Chinese workers experience culture shock and struggle to adapt to a new environment. The Zhaos have shared cultural stresses with the Wardells, who once served in Southeast Asia.
The Wardells now serve in a different area of Asia and have led ministry training for Southeast Asian believers who partner with the Zhaos.
The Zhaos told the Wardells they are adjusting to being away from family. But their parents don't understand why they took their granddaughters away.
"Why did you choose this silly … [Read more...]

DUBLIN, Ireland (BP) -- Ireland on May 22 became the first country to hold a public vote amending its constitution to allow gay marriage, but the change will not force houses of worship to perform the unions.
Instead, gay couples will be able to enter in "civil marriage," a separate institution from but affording all the legal benefits of "religious marriage," according to the Yes Equality civil group that spearheaded the drive for the constitutional change.
"No religious institution can be forced to marry a lesbian or gay couple against their beliefs," the group's website reads. "Churches will be able to continue with religious ceremonies and will not be required to conduct wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples."
Ireland's Justice Department plans to draft a marriage bill this week that will permit those taking vows in civil ceremonies to choose either to be "husband and wife" or "spouses of each other," satisfying the demands of religious groups including Catholics, Protestants and Muslims that no church will be required to perform gay marriage in the country, the Associated Press reported.
With 62.1 percent of the vote, Ireland approved a referendum to the nation's 1937 constitution stating, "Marriage may be contracted in … [Read more...]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (BP) -- Michael Procter is retiring effective May 2016 after more than five years as executive director/treasurer of the Alaska Baptist Convention and as executive director of the Alaska Baptist Foundation, he announced May 4.
He has held the posts since January 2011 and has served in Southern Baptist ministry for 45 years, 30 of them in Alaska.
"Over the 45 years the Lord has allowed me to serve Him in ministry, there have been so many blessings that they are innumerable but one that rises to the top is His blessing me with the privilege of serving Him in Alaska," Procter said in his resignation letter. "… Over the years, there have been challenges and disagreements however there has also been victories and blessings as we witnessed God working in our midst."
Among the former posts Procter referenced in his letter are his "pastorate at Glacier Valley Baptist Church in Juneau and the church planting 'circuit riding' in Southeast Alaska, to moving to Anchorage to become the Director of Missions for the Chugach Baptist Association, to becoming a part of our State staff, first as the Director of Missions and Church Planting and, for the past 5 plus years, as your Executive Director-Treasurer."
Procter will turn … [Read more...]

By David Roach, Baptist Press
ATLANTA (BP) -- The Boy Scouts of America should end its ban on gay adult leaders, BSA President Robert Gates said today (May 21), lending credence to the concern expressed in a 2013 Southern Baptist Convention resolution that opening the group's membership to homosexual youth was "merely the first step toward future approval of homosexual adult leaders in the Scouts."
A policy allowing gay Scout leaders "was a matter of time," said Ernest Easley, who was chairman of the SBC Executive Committee in 2013. "Back when they changed their thinking regarding the boys themselves, I knew that within a year or so they would reverse their stand with the leadership. And frankly, I think it was the plan to begin with: Start with the kids. We get that done. Then we come back later with the adults."
Gates, a former C.I.A. director and U.S. secretary of defense, told attendees of the BSA annual meeting in Atlanta he is not asking the national board to change the leadership policy immediately. But he said the Scouts must voluntarily accept gay leaders before a court forces them to do so.
"Between internal challenges and potential legal conflicts, the BSA finds itself in an unsustainable position," Gates said … [Read more...]

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Editorial

By Steve Horn
Corinth was by all historical accounts a very wicked place. When Paul established a church there, he was establishing a church in the midst of one of the most difficult cities of his day.
When we move to the letters called 1 and 2 Corinthians, we realize that the struggle in Corinth continued. … Continue Reading.

By Steve Horn
Corinth was by all historical accounts a very wicked place. When Paul established a church there, he was establishing a church in the midst of one of the most difficult cities of his day.
When we move to the letters called 1 and 2 Corinthians, we realize that the struggle in Corinth continued. … Continue Reading.